So we come into life kicking, scratching. biting, crying and naked struggling to live and breath born into the prescence of total strangers.. funny we begin our journey in recovery kicking, biting, scratching, biting, crying struggling and naked to get clean in the hands of total strangers. we think to ourselves what does this motley group of people possibly have that can help us? we come into recovery our lives an open book of how we falied so miserably to live our lives. we lost family, we lost friends, we lost spouses, we lost our kids, we lost jobs we actually ran out of things to lose except the air we breathe. so why should we put our faith and trust in these people? because they can truly save our ass. you come to your first few meeetings and you see people with 30days and maybe somebody that actually have a couple of years and say to yourself there is no freaking way this person has stayed clean for a couple of years. that's impossible!!! nobody can do that!!! so where do i begin this journey? Narcotics Anonymous offers one promise and one promise only, Freedom from active Addiction. so how and where do we start? first complete abstinence from all mood altering substances. we change everything. our playmates, our play places and our playthings. we must become willing to change every aspect of our lives.

during our using years we did everything in our power to destroy everything around us. now it is time to not only mend ourselves but to clear the wreckage of our past. so begin slowly by going to meeting after meeting until something someone said finally clicks in our sick minds and we realize we do not have to do this alone. we put our faith into God and these people who we thought had nothing to offer us only to find out they are just as sick as we are. but they have stuck around long enough to get the message of Recovery. we stop trying to complicate the process of Recovery, we find a kind, loving wise sponsor to help us through the 12 step process. we take a service position, we attend outside functions. we learn to love ourselves for who we are not what we are. we start to become healthy. we begin to see changes in oursleves that are for the good. we slowly start to enjoy the simple things in life. it's a life long process. we have got to dedicate ourselves to this recovery process for life. it is never over. we will always be addicts.

a lot of people cross addict. that is just changing or replacing one addiction for the other. that process does not work either. it's either all or nothing. the choice is yours and yours only. continue on to the bitter ends jails, institutions or death or find a new way to live. today even after 25 years, 6 months and 18 days clean i choose to live the NA way. do you?

NA hugs and love,

JJ